Coleman Francis
Encyclopedia
Coleman C. Francis was an American actor, writer, producer, and director perhaps best-known for his film trilogy consisting of The Beast of Yucca Flats
(1961), The Skydivers
(1963), Red Zone Cuba
(1966), all three of which were filmed in the general Yucca Mountain
, Nevada area and used preoccupation with light aircraft and parachuting, coffee
or cigarettes serving as a prop or a center of conversation, and a vigilante-style gunning down of suspects without a trial to conclude the film as frequent motifs.
All three films have gained notoriety as a result of their appearances on Mystery Science Theater 3000
, and have been often criticized for their abysmal production values, repetitive plot devices, murky picture quality, and stilted acting. Some critics have characterized Francis' films among the all-time worst, even suggesting that he may surpass Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space
in terms of ineptitude. Francis was born in Greer County, Oklahoma; he was the son of William C. Francis and Scytha Estes and, together with Barbra Francis, had two sons, actors Alan and Ronald Francis. In addition, he served as the uncle of Rebecca Marlow as well as the great uncle of Stephanie Francis Lee.
in 1919. Sometime around the Great Depression
he moved to Texas
, then in the 1940s headed for the bright lights of Hollywood. He worked on several films during the late 1940s and 1950s without credit: Blondie's Reward, Scarlet Angel, The Girl in White, This Island Earth, She Couldn't Say No
, Twilight for the Gods, and P. J. In 1958 came his first break in a credited role, Stakeout on Dope Street
, where he played a detective. He went on to play minor parts in dozens of other films.
In 1961, he began writing, producing, and directing films, with the help of his friend, Anthony "Tony" Cardoza
, a welder by trade. Francis started with The Beast of Yucca Flats
. He went on to direct, write, and produce two other movies: The Skydivers
, and finally Red Zone Cuba
(Night Train to Mundo Fine). He appeared in Russ Meyer
's 1965 film Motorpsycho
, and his last work in the film industry was in 1970, when he played a drunk in Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
.
He married Barbara Francis and had two sons, Alan Francis and Ronald Francis, both of whom appeared in the films he directed.
in 1973. Though arteriosclerosis
is listed as the official cause of death, Cardoza says Francis' body was found in the back of a station wagon at the Vine Street Ranch Market with "a plastic bag over his head and a tube going into his mouth or around his throat".
Francis is interred at the Columbarium of Remembrance in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
in Los Angeles
.
status after being featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000
. All three films that he directed, wrote and produced have been featured on the show.
The Beast of Yucca Flats
The Beast of Yucca Flats is a B horror film released in 1961. The film stars Swedish former wrestler Tor Johnson and was both written and directed by Coleman Francis...
(1961), The Skydivers
The Skydivers
The Skydivers is a 1963 film directed by Coleman Francis. It stars Kevin Casey as Beth, Eric Tomlin as Joe, Anthony Cardoza as Harry, and Marcia Knight as Suzy...
(1963), Red Zone Cuba
Red Zone Cuba
Red Zone Cuba, also known as Night Train to Mundo Fine, is a 1966 American drama film directed by Coleman Francis, who also wrote, produced, and played the starring role...
(1966), all three of which were filmed in the general Yucca Mountain
Yucca Mountain
The Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository was to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear reactor fuel and other high level radioactive waste, until the project was canceled in 2009. It was to be located on federal land adjacent to the Nevada Test Site in Nye County,...
, Nevada area and used preoccupation with light aircraft and parachuting, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
or cigarettes serving as a prop or a center of conversation, and a vigilante-style gunning down of suspects without a trial to conclude the film as frequent motifs.
All three films have gained notoriety as a result of their appearances on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
, and have been often criticized for their abysmal production values, repetitive plot devices, murky picture quality, and stilted acting. Some critics have characterized Francis' films among the all-time worst, even suggesting that he may surpass Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
in terms of ineptitude. Francis was born in Greer County, Oklahoma; he was the son of William C. Francis and Scytha Estes and, together with Barbra Francis, had two sons, actors Alan and Ronald Francis. In addition, he served as the uncle of Rebecca Marlow as well as the great uncle of Stephanie Francis Lee.
Life and career
Francis was born in Greer County, OklahomaGreer County, Oklahoma
Greer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 6,061. Its county seat is Mangum. From 1860 to 1896, the state of Texas claimed an area known as Greer County, Texas, which included present-day Greer County along with neighboring...
in 1919. Sometime around the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
he moved to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, then in the 1940s headed for the bright lights of Hollywood. He worked on several films during the late 1940s and 1950s without credit: Blondie's Reward, Scarlet Angel, The Girl in White, This Island Earth, She Couldn't Say No
She Couldn't Say No (1954 film)
She Couldn't Say No is a 1954 comedy-drama film starring Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons.-Plot:Wealthy Corby Lane visits the small American hamlet of Progress, Arkansas, whose residents had paid for a critical medical operation for her when she was a child. She decides to express her gratitude by...
, Twilight for the Gods, and P. J. In 1958 came his first break in a credited role, Stakeout on Dope Street
Stakeout on Dope Street
Stakeout on Dope Street is a 1958 film by Irvin Kershner. It is about three teenagers who inadvertently get themselves involved in a drug ring. It was the directorial debut of Kershner.-Synopsis:...
, where he played a detective. He went on to play minor parts in dozens of other films.
In 1961, he began writing, producing, and directing films, with the help of his friend, Anthony "Tony" Cardoza
Anthony Cardoza
Anthony "Tony" Cardoza is an American actor and film producer. He has worked on over a dozen films, but is perhaps best known for his three collaborations with Coleman Francis in the 1960s: The Beast of Yucca Flats, The Skydivers, and Night Train To Mundo Fine...
, a welder by trade. Francis started with The Beast of Yucca Flats
The Beast of Yucca Flats
The Beast of Yucca Flats is a B horror film released in 1961. The film stars Swedish former wrestler Tor Johnson and was both written and directed by Coleman Francis...
. He went on to direct, write, and produce two other movies: The Skydivers
The Skydivers
The Skydivers is a 1963 film directed by Coleman Francis. It stars Kevin Casey as Beth, Eric Tomlin as Joe, Anthony Cardoza as Harry, and Marcia Knight as Suzy...
, and finally Red Zone Cuba
Red Zone Cuba
Red Zone Cuba, also known as Night Train to Mundo Fine, is a 1966 American drama film directed by Coleman Francis, who also wrote, produced, and played the starring role...
(Night Train to Mundo Fine). He appeared in Russ Meyer
Russ Meyer
Russell Albion "Russ" Meyer was a U.S. motion picture director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, actor and photographer....
's 1965 film Motorpsycho
Motorpsycho (film)
Motorpsycho or Motor Psycho is a 1965 film by Russ Meyer. Made just before the better-known Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! , the film explores similar themes of sex and violence...
, and his last work in the film industry was in 1970, when he played a drunk in Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a 1970 American schlock melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett and David Gurian...
.
He married Barbara Francis and had two sons, Alan Francis and Ronald Francis, both of whom appeared in the films he directed.
Death
Francis died in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1973. Though arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis refers to a stiffening of arteries.Arteriosclerosis is a general term describing any hardening of medium or large arteries It should not be confused with "arteriolosclerosis" or "atherosclerosis".Also known by the name "myoconditis" which is...
is listed as the official cause of death, Cardoza says Francis' body was found in the back of a station wagon at the Vine Street Ranch Market with "a plastic bag over his head and a tube going into his mouth or around his throat".
Francis is interred at the Columbarium of Remembrance in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
The Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, California. It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood....
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Legacy
Instead of fading into the annals of cinema history, in 1994 his films gained cultCult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
status after being featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
. All three films that he directed, wrote and produced have been featured on the show.
Actor (films)
- Blondie's Reward (uncredited, 1948)
- The Girl in WhiteThe Girl in WhiteThe Girl in White is a 1952 anthology film directed by John Sturges....
(1952) - Scarlet Angel (uncredited, 1952)
- Killers from SpaceKillers from SpaceKillers from Space is a 1954 American black and white science fiction feature film, produced and directed by W. Lee Wilder from an original, commissioned screenplay by his son Myles Wilder and their regular collaborator William Raynor, and starring Peter Graves and Barbara Bestar...
(uncredited, 1954) - She Couldn't Say No (uncredited, 1954)
- This Island Earth (uncredited, 1955)
- The Phantom Stagecoach (uncredited, 1957)
- Stakeout on Dope Street (1958)
- Twilight for the Gods (uncredited, 1958)
- T-Bird GangT-Bird GangT-Bird Gang is a 1959 American film directed by Richard Harbinger. Shot in 1958 under the title of Cry Out in Vengence, executive producer Roger Corman released the film as a double feature with High School Big Shot as the first release of his Filmgroup company.- Cast :*John Brinkley as Frank...
(1959) - The Jailbreakers (1960)
- Spring Affair (1960)
- CimarronCimarron (1960 film)Cimarron is a 1960 western film based on the Edna Ferber novel Cimarron, featuring Glenn Ford and Maria Schell. It was directed by Anthony Mann, known for his westerns and film noirs....
(uncredited, 1960) - The Beast of Yucca Flats (uncredited, 1961)
- The Skydivers (uncredited, 1963)
- The Thrill Killers (uncredited, 1964)
- Lemon Grove Kids Meet the MonstersLemon Grove Kids Meet the MonstersLemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters is a trilogy of short films released in 1965. The films are considered a tribute to the long-running Bowery Boys films from the mid 1940s to late 1950s....
(1965) - MotorpsychoMotorpsycho (film)Motorpsycho or Motor Psycho is a 1965 film by Russ Meyer. Made just before the better-known Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! , the film explores similar themes of sex and violence...
(1965) - Red Zone CubaRed Zone CubaRed Zone Cuba, also known as Night Train to Mundo Fine, is a 1966 American drama film directed by Coleman Francis, who also wrote, produced, and played the starring role...
(1966) - The Last American Hobo (1967)
- P.J. (uncredited, 1968)
- Body Fever (1969)
- The Dirtiest Game (1970)
- Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1971)
Actor (television)
- Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (4 episodes, 1955–1957)
- Highway PatrolHighway Patrol (TV series)Highway Patrol is a syndicated action crime drama series produced 1955-1959.-Overview:Highway Patrol stars Broderick Crawford as Dan Mathews, the gruff and dedicated head of a police force in an unidentified Western state...
(1 episode, 1959) - Dragnet (3 episodes, 1957–1959)
- M SquadM SquadM Squad is an American police drama television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on NBC. Its format would later inspire the creation of spoof TV show Police Squad! Its sponsor was the Pall Mall cigarette brand; Lee Marvin, the program's star, appeared in its commercials during the...
(1 episode, 1960) - Tales of Wells FargoTales of Wells FargoTales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
(1 episode, 1961)
Director
- The Beast of Yucca FlatsThe Beast of Yucca FlatsThe Beast of Yucca Flats is a B horror film released in 1961. The film stars Swedish former wrestler Tor Johnson and was both written and directed by Coleman Francis...
(1961) - The SkydiversThe SkydiversThe Skydivers is a 1963 film directed by Coleman Francis. It stars Kevin Casey as Beth, Eric Tomlin as Joe, Anthony Cardoza as Harry, and Marcia Knight as Suzy...
(1963) - Night Train to Mundo Fine (aka Red Zone CubaRed Zone CubaRed Zone Cuba, also known as Night Train to Mundo Fine, is a 1966 American drama film directed by Coleman Francis, who also wrote, produced, and played the starring role...
) (1966)